While this lady’s co-op is run differently than the one I organize, I really like what she has to say.
Why Support Support Groups
It seems to me that most people get out what they put into a support group: if they take the time to understand what is going on, why it is going on, develop themselves as an adult, as a teacher, or as a support person, then their family enjoys co-oping (or being part of a support group). If they think of it as "Why should I take time away from our studies?" or "What do YOU offer my kids." then they are mixing up the roles of museums, schools and other for hire programs with the do-it-yourself-and-get-some-company-while-you-do-it way of doing support groups and co-ops.
Even when there are alternative programs to do the same thing, somebody (or several somebodies) somewhere had to plug the leadership, organization and liability into it to create a group. If they solve a family’s needs better than co-oping does, great, but for heaven’s sakes, let’s quit griping that co-oping is hard work. Everything in life is hard work: either you do it, or pay someone else to do it. The good part about doing it yourself, is that you stick one in the eye of Madison Avenue: you are not just a helpless consumer who can only shell out money, you are an image bearer of God. Creativity and hard work are part of your inheritance. Of course cronic "I can’t say no" persons, do get exhausted though!